TWO DIFFICULT SBK RACES FOR THE ARUBA.IT RACING-DUCATI SUPERBIKE TEAM TODAY AT BURIRAM

Buriram (Thailand), Sunday 22 March 2015 – A complicated race day for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. Chaz Davies concluded today’s two Superbike races eleventh and fifteenth, having suffered two crashes. Ninth and eleventh position for Troy Bayliss.

Race 1 – Very hot and sunny conditions for today’s Superbike races at Buriram, with an air temperature of 30°C and a track at roughly 50°C. Starting from sixth position on the grid, Davies immediately moved up into fourth place through the first corners, positioned between Haslam and Lowes. He oscillated between fourth and fifth place for a number of laps but then a small crash at Turn 12, on lap nine, unfortunately relegated him to fifteenth position.

Despite the setback, the Welshman put in fast lap times all the way to the line, pushing hard and making up four positions in the final phase, to close this first race of the day in eleventh position. Bayliss, seventh on the grid, gained a position during lap one and found himself part of a group with Guintoli and Van der Mark in the opening laps. A consistent pace meant that he was able to hold eighth position for the best part of the race.

Effectively managing the tyre situation, and battling with various riders including Lowes, Salom and Baiocco in the final phase, the Australian rider crossed the line in eighth place. Unfortunately race direction declared that Bayliss had made a pass while the yellow flags were being waved during the races and therefore received a penalty of one position.

Race 2 – the second of the day’s races took place in very similar conditions to race 1. Chaz was again quick off the line, up into third after one lap right behind Lowes and Rea. He was battling with Haslam when unfortunately he lost the rear, finishing in the gravel. He was again able to continue with the race, and was the fastest rider on track for several laps, but was only about to make up so much of the lost ground in the time remaining, thus finishing in final fifteenth place. Bayliss was lying eighth through the opening lap with Salom and Torres immediately ahead of him. The Australian made up two positions in the initial stages and was up in sixth by lap five. From the eighth lap onwards he started to lose ground and despite his best efforts he finished the race in eleventh position.

This means that after the first two 2015 championship rounds, Davies now lies sixth in the overall standings, with 38 points, while Bayliss positions, having earned 15 points. Ducati positions third in the manufacturer’s standings with 50 points.

With the Buriram round, three-times World Champion Bayliss concludes his emotional experience in the 2015 Superbike series. He will return to Australia on Wednesday after taking part in a series of Ducati promotional events in Thailand.

Quotes after the races:

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 11th, 15th“I’m really disappointed with how today’s races went. It was very difficult as I was constantly having to push, riding at the limit, to fight with the others. The fact that there are three straights here really hindered us today… We made some changes for race 2 and the bike was better, but then the race went more or less like the first one. The crash was different, I lost grip at the rear on entering Turn 3 but then the second part of the race was similar. I tried to make up as many positions as possible. The lap times were good and when I find myself riding alone I have a lot less trouble. When I’m fighting with the others, I have a lot more trouble with initial acceleration and on the straight, losing too much ground which means I then have to force the entry. I have faith in the technicians at Borgo Panigale and their work to find us some more power ahead of the next races…”

Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #21) – 9th, 11th“All in all, and considering that conditions here are some of the most difficult I’ve experience, I can say that I’m fairly satisfied. I’ve never liked it when it’s this hot and they were, as I expected, two very physical and difficult races, especially the first as I didn’t even take a drink in my suit! I thought I’d do a little better in the second race but I knew it would be tough, so it didn’t go too badly I guess… It’s been fun, I came back in particular circumstances and wanted to do one more event after Phillip Island to see how it would go. I love racing, Ducati and the people that work here and it’s been really great to race with the Panigale R Superbike. I was lucky enough to finish my career fit and healthy and I’ve seen that I can still be fast, but now I am ready to return to enjoying life with my family in Australia. I want to thank everyone for their support and now I leave things to the young talents.”

Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati SBK Project Director‘’It definitely hasn’t been an easy weekend for us and unfortunately Chaz crashed in both races. We were missing a bit of acceleration out of the slow corners and this is what we need to focus on in coming weeks. We have nevertheless demonstrated again here in Thailand that the Panigale R is a competitive bike. After the crashes Chaz was able to continue and, especially in Race 2, he maintained the same pace as the leaders, lapping with really fast times. Now we have to roll up our sleeves and look ahead to give it our all in the next races. Troy has proved that he is still very fast and in the races, despite the heat, he put on a great show with his aggressive riding. We thank him for having given his all with the same determination he has always shown, we couldn’t have asked for any more. Having him on the bike again for these two events has been great, time might have passed but some things never seem to change – Troy is always Troy.”